Dancing figure toy



June 29 1926. 1,590,563

E. E. CHILDS DANCING FIGURE TOY Filed Feb. 14. 1925 INVENTOR.

I EDWARDEARLE CHILDQ' 58 55 BY W Y 2 Alla/W1 ATTORNEYS.

Patented June 29, 1926.

; cam STATES,

I EDWAB D EARLE CHILDS, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

DANCING FIGUBE" 1OY.

Application filed February My dancing type and shufile dance or shufile and clog. I provide a manikin with somewhat loose jointed arms and legs and a loosely attached'foot which when supported with the feet touching a vibrating board or base simulates the loose jointed shuflle' and clog dance typical of negro dancers. A feature of my invention is that the manikin may be supported on the end of a horizontal stick, that the feet will touch a board or platen which may be vibrated by the hand or some implement. I provide a platen relatively thin at the end to be clamped to a table so that it will vibrate for some considerable time after a vibration is started.

I make the platen wide and thick at its outer end so that when the inner end is clamped tight to a table it will vibrate with a somewhat slow natural period of vibration. The platen maybe periodically struck with the fist or a drum stick thereby maintaining its vibration. The feature of holding the Ihanikin on the end of a stick held in the hand- 'ves an irregularity to the fiance which further simulates a shufile ance.

The joints are so made that the arms, legs and feet will swing to a'certain' extent and abruptly stop to prevent a back jointed action. B various positions andarrang'fiments clamping the platen it may. e vibrated .in tune wit music thereby making the manikin more or less keep time in v step with the tune.

glustrating the pp r g,

stoo M invention will be more clearly underdrawings in which Figure 1 is a side view ofthe manikin, il-' stick for holding the body or trunk and supporting the manildn and the vibrating platen.

Figure 2 is a section of Figure 1 on the line ,2r-2 showing part of the upper, and lower leg and foot. I

Figure 3 is a detail showing one of many lower leg and foot actions. Figure 4 is a' detail showing mule- 0 man lower leg and foot actions;

' Figure 5 is a section of the platen of Figure 6 on the line 5-5, with t elength on a reduced scale and the thickness shown exa gerated.- Y a I igure 6 is a plan view of the platen l from the following-specification and f but should be of such dily.' I finda suitable 105 indicated at 38 and with a' 14, 1925. Serial No. 9,138.

lustrating a shape well suited to periodic vibration. v

In the description anatomical and mechanical terms are used to simplify the specification, The trunk 1 may be any desired shape and have a fixed or loose adjustable head 2 and arms 3 pivotally connected to the shoulders 4. The upper arm nected to thelower arm may have the hand 8 connected to the lower arm by a link or with a rigid wrist 9 as shown. The upper and lower arms have a curve at the front 10 and 11 so they may bend forward but have squared back corners 12 and 13 to prevent aback jointed bend.

The legs 14 are pivoted to the side of the hip on a pin 15 and. the upper leg 16 is connected to the lower leg 17 by a link 18, operating in slots 19 and held by rivets 20. The lower leg has an extension or ankle 21 to which the 'foot '22 is connected by link 23, operating in the close slot-24 in ankle by the pivotal rivet 25. The foot has a wide slot 26 and an aperture 27 in the link slightly larger than necessary for the pin 28, thus allowing the foot to wobble slightly sidewise. The slot 26 in the foot also extends to the front and back of the pin" 28 to allowthe foot to cant to the front with the toe down or the reverse.

The links and slots at the. joints allow a great many movements to be executed of which two are illustrated in'Figures 3 and 4. It will be noted that the rounded corners behind the knee 29 and 30 allow the lower leg to bend back, in a natural way, but that the an lar corners 31 and 32 on the front of the eg prevent a back jointed action and bring the swinging leg to an abrupt stop on a forward swing. T e ankle extension 21 allows the foot to swivel throu h 180 degrees as shown in ma also swing on thepin 28.

34 in the trunk, vibrating platen 3 5. of shapes This may be constructed a variety material shape and that it will vibrate rea platen ma be made of wood, witha relatively wi e outer .end 36, a narrow inner end 37 adapted to be'clampe'd to'a table as 1 spindled mid portion39. It is desirable t 5 is con- 6 by a link? and Figures 3 an 4; and it at the ends be wider than the mid section as shown exaggerated in Figure 6.

The manner of use and action of the manikin is somewhat as follows :The stick 33 is held in the hand so that the feet rest on the platen when it is still or in its center position of vibration. The platen is vibratedby being struck by the fist or a drum stick, either by the person holding the stick or someone else. The toe, being heavier than the heel, cants 'down and is struck by the vibrating platen and the force of the blow causes the legs to swing in an erratic way, with the heel, toe and flat foot striking the platen. A great measure of the comical effect is due to the hand not holding the manikin steady.

The manikin may be considerably modifie a stationary support and a mechanically vibrated platen may be used and the manikin dressed as desired, without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention what I claim is 1. A dancing toy comprising a manikin having a trunk portion, an upper leg pivoted to the trunk portion, a lower leg connected to the upper. leg by a link and pins, a foot connected to the lower leg by a link and pins, said foot being provided with an enlarged socket adapted to allow the foot to rotate in a vertical plane and to wobble sidewise, and a jointed arm member pivoted to said trunk member. v

2. In a dancing toy, the combination with a vibrating platform having a thin fixed end and relatively thick vibrating end of a figure consisting of a trunk member, an upper leg member pivoted to said trunk memp ber, a lower leg member connected to said upper leg member by a link and pins, said leg members being provided with abutting faces adapted to engageeach other when the leg members are in alinement, a foot member connected to said lower leg member by a link and pins, said foot member being rovided with an enlarged socket to allow it to wobble laterally, oted to said trunk ,member and a handle rigidly connected to the trunk member.

. In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

EDWARD EARLE OHILDS.

a jointed arm member piv- 

